Text by Sophia Jones | Photography by William Dickey
Equestrian collectibles bring the effortless grace and subtle exuberance of the horse into the home.
For centuries, horses have provided civilizations with transportation, vitality, and companionship. And individuals who share a bond with horses often find ways to showcase their affection through various equine collections. For Linda Holman, who has been gathering an array of equestrian art and keepsakes for almost four decades, collecting equestrian memorabilia is more than just a hobby, it’s a way of life. “This type of collection does not just consist of photographs of you and your family with your own horses,” says Linda, who grew up riding and now works at a tack shop. “It goes further than that. It’s a passion. It’s a broader appreciation of equestrian art.”
Linda started her equestrian art collection in 1978 when her mother gave her an antique horse brass, a small plaque that hangs from a horse’s harness gear. Linda has visited horse and antiques shows throughout the years collecting equestrian paintings, etchings, figurines, busts, and dishware along with numerous antique horse brasses. To bring her collection to its full potential, Linda enlisted the help of interior designer Mary Ruth Caldwell of Caldwell Flake Interiors. “Mary has a way of arranging things to make them look elegant,” Linda says. “If it weren’t for her, people would probably walk in my home and mistake it for a barn.”
One of the most popular equestrian collectibles, a horse brass holds either a family crest or symbol to signify the place of origin, trade, or passion of the horse’s owner—often grouped together on a strip of leather to tell a story. Some brasses from earlier periods hold designs and shapes believed to ward off evil and bring good luck. A full set for one horse consists of 10 to 12 brasses: the facepiece (one or two large ones to hang on the forehead) and a number of smaller brasses to hang from leather straps on either side of the horse’s body.
Horse brasses are used as decorative pieces in country fairs, and collectors display their horse brasses by arranging them individually on surfaces throughout the home, or by hanging them on leather straps, the way they would’ve originally been worn. And while the most cherished item in Linda’s collection is the horse brass her mother gave her, the most valuable piece is a hand-painted Wedgwood pitcher that dates back to the 1850s. The foxhunt scene with horses and hounds is a popular pastime captured on a significant amount of equestrian art. Other treasured pieces in Linda’s collection include a Wedgwood teapot, a mug hand painted by artist Emma Wyatt, a Crown Dorset Staffordshire English bone china cup and saucer, and an Aiken Hunt Country China oval platter.
Equestrian keepsakes also connect friends and family who share a love of horses. Linda’s mother collected equestrian art, and now Linda’s two daughters are starting their own collections. And she plans to pass her own pieces down to her girls one day. “When I go into another person’s house who collects equestrian art, I immediately feel at home,” Linda says. “We don’t all have the same things, but the feel is the same. It’s something deep inside that we all relate to.”